easyJet has revealed it will launch holidays to Egypt for the first time in 2020. The company intends to offer up to 24 hotels in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. The move is part of easyJet’s debut Egypt programme when the operator relaunches at the end of the year, reported Travel Weekly.
The news comes nearly two weeks after a flight ban between Sharm el Sheikh and the UK was lifted.
The ban was put in place in 2015 after a Russian airliner was bombed killing 224 people onboard.
It was thought that security procedures at Sharm el Sheikh airport were not tight enough, allowing for the bomb to be smuggled on board the plane.
For the last four years, the British and Egyptian governments have been working closely together to work on increasing safety precautions.
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After the ban was lifted on 22 October, the government released a statement saying: “Improvements in security procedures at the airport, and close co-operation between the UK and Egypt on aviation security, mean commercial airlines can now be allowed to operate routes to and from the airport.
“This is the first step in the resumption of flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, which is a popular destination for UK holidaymakers.
“This decision supports air carriers to provide more choice to travellers hoping to visit the country.
“The government will work with air carriers that have expressed an interest in operating flights as they develop their plans.”
Bixby – who was speaking at an Egyptian tourism event during World Travel Market – said a decision to increase capacity in Red Sea resorts in Egypt had already been made prior to the Sharm el Sheikh flight ban being removed.
He said he has been in discussions with hoteliers in Egypt who wanted to know if standards had changed during the flight ban, according to Travel Weekly.
Hurghada has also had its share of woe. A beach terror attack in 2017 left seven holidaymakers injured and two dead.
However, despite the country’s past troubles, Egypt continues to be a hugely popular destination with Britons and, in 2018, it saw an increase in UK tourists by 39 percent compared to 2017.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises that there is a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation in Egypt.
“Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK,” said the FCO. “You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports.”
Terrorists are classified as “very likely” to try to carry out attacks in Egypt, with most attacks occurring in North Sinai.
However, the FCO points out that an estimated 415,000 British nationals visited Egypt in 2018. “Most visits are trouble-free,” the government said.
In related news, tour operator TUI has also announced it will be resuming flights to Sharm el Sheikh after the flight ban was lifted.
The Sharm el Sheikh holidays will be on sale from 7 November, with the first flights departing February 2020.
TUI has said they will reintroduce holidays to the Egyptian resort town from popular airports Gatwick London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Flights from Doncaster Sheffield and Bristol will be available for departures in summer 2020